Isaiah 3 Bald Women?

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Isaiah 3:1 See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,
2 the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank,
the counselor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.​

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4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”​

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5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young will rise up against the old,
the nobody against the honored.​

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6 A man will seize one of his brothers
in his father’s house, and say,
“You have a cloak, you be our leader;
take charge of this heap of ruins!”
7 But in that day he will cry out,
“I have no remedy.
I have no food or clothing in my house;
do not make me the leader of the people.”​

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8 Jerusalem staggers,
Judah is falling;
their words and deeds are against the Lord,
defying his glorious presence.
9 The look on their faces testifies against them;
they parade their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
They have brought disaster upon themselves.​

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10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them,
for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.
11 Woe to the wicked!
Disaster is upon them!
They will be paid back
for what their hands have done.​

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12 Youths oppress my people,
women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;
they turn you from the path.​

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13 The Lord takes his place in court;
he rises to judge the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
the plunder from the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people
and grinding the faces of the poor?”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.​

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16 The Lord says,
“The women of Zion are haughty,
walking along with outstretched necks,
flirting with their eyes,
strutting along with swaying hips,
with ornaments jingling on their ankles.
17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion;
the Lord will make their scalps bald.”​

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18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and anklets and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.​

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24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench;
instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of well-dressed hair, baldness;
instead of fine clothing, sackcloth;
instead of beauty, branding.
25 Your men will fall by the sword,
your warriors in battle.
26 The gates of Zion will lament and mourn;
destitute, she will sit on the ground.​

The judgment is worse than just taking away food and water. God also brought judgment on Jerusalem and Judah by depriving them of godly, competent leaders on every level: the mighty man and the man of war, the judge and the prophet, and the diviner and the elder; the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the skillful artisan, and the expert enchanter. Instead of wise, competent leaders, God will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.​

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Because of this ungodly, incompetent leadership, the people will be oppressed, and there will be a breakdown of order in society (The child will be insolent toward the elder, and the base toward the honorable).​

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Things will become so bad, that in the minds of the people, the smallest achievements will qualify a man for leadership: You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let these ruins be under your hand. Yet, even such a man will not want to lead: In that day, he will protest, saying, "I cannot cure your ills … do not make me a ruler of the people."​

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The look on their countenance witnesses against them: The very look on their faces is evidence of their guilt. Either they have smirk of the reprobate, or the downcast gaze of those under conviction.​

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And they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it: Their sin is openly displayed, and there have no sense of shame. The cultural dynamic in Isaiah's day was probably much the same as in our time. In the name of "frankness" and "honesty" and "let's not be hypocrites," all kinds of sin is approved, and no one is "allowed" to proclaim a standard unless they live up to it perfectly.​

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The plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the faces of the poor? God's charge against the elders and the princes of Israel is not that they have failed to help the poor. That would be bad in itself. But far worse than that, they have robbed the poor, and taken advantage of their poverty to enrich themselves. ​

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Their obsession with their appearance, their love of luxury, and their promiscuity made the daughters of Zion ripe for judgment: Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover their secret parts. Their "crown" will be a scab, and instead of being beautifully adorned, they will be exposed and humiliated. Also, the Lord will take away the finery.​

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Instead of … Instead of … Instead of … Instead of … instead of: The LORD will replace their finery with the marks of captivity and humiliation. They will live the stench, the baldness, the branding and the general deprivation of captivity.​

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She being desolate shall sit on the ground: A Roman medal, struck after Jerusalem's fall, shows a Jewish woman being desolate, sitting under a palm tree next to a Roman soldier.​

The prophet denounces the private sins of the affluent upper class of Judah by warning them that God will take away their leaders and replace them with incompetent ones. Stay and staff are two genders of the same noun and serve as a Hebrew idiom for “all kinds of things” He then lists the kinds of leaders who will fail, beginning with the mighty man (gibor, heroic leader).​

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In place of these national leaders God warns that He will give them children ... and babes to rule over them. This prophecy was literally fulfilled when Manasseh (at age 12), began his long and wicked reign, which eventually led to Judah’s final downfall. “Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen” is stated in the prophetic perfect as if this future event were already a fact.​

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“This ruin … ruler of the people”: Conditions of anarchy were to be so bad that no one would accept a position of authority over the people. ​

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“The show of their countenance” means “the look of their faces.” Their guilty faces clearly revealed their sinful hearts. ​

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The arrogant and fashionable women of Jerusalem are condemned by the prophet for being more interested in the latest fads of fashion than the spiritual well-being of the nation. They are described as haughty, proud and wanton (suggestive). They walk with heads held high and with mincing steps, tinkling the bangles on their feet; they have flashing, seductive veils.​

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Suits of apparel, or festal robes. Mantles, or tunic. Wimples, or cloaks. Glasses, or mirrors. Thus, the prophet predicts that the women of Judah will cease to delight in these feminine accessories and will perish with the men of Judah.​

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I had to turn off the news this morning.... while I was reading this.... politics was on the news.... and Isaiah wasn't talking about current events.... Isaiah was talking about the Assyrian capture of Judah. Isaiah was saying wise up quick or God's going to let the dogs out. When the people of Judah were captured, it was a brutal event. Imagine watching your husband's castration or murder. I'm sure quite a few women were raped.... they were definitely stripped of their jewels and fine clothes. Jewels and fine clothes were valuable commodities to the Assyrians..... they could be sold back in Babylon. The people... they were not as valuable... they would require feeding.

Now I see that the commentary brought up Manasseh... age 12. Back in 2 Chronicles 33 I read that Manasseh made an idol and plopped it right in the Temple. Manasseh was worshiping a fake god in the Real Temple. Now that had to get under God's skin! According to verse 11 Manasseh got a new piece of jewelry for being such and idiot.... instead of a crown..... the Assyrians gave him a nose ring.

Will discover their secret parts "Expose their nakedness" - It was the barbarous custom of the conquerors of those times to strip their captives naked, and to make them travel in that condition, exposed to the inclemency of the weather; and the worst of all, to the intolerable heat of the sun. But this to the women was the height of cruelty and indignity; and especially to such as those here described, who had indulged themselves in all manner of delicacies of living, and all the superfluities of ornamental dress; and even whose faces had hardly ever been exposed to the sight of man. This is always mentioned as the hardest part of the lot of captives. Nahum, Nahum 3:5, Nahum 3:6, denouncing the fate of Nineveh, paints it in very strong colors: -​

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Here's the easiest way to explain the scabs on the head..... the Assyrians stripped the women naked..... and then made them travel,force marched, naked, through the desert.... from Jerusalem to Babylon.... naked and exposed to the hot sun..... sun burns..... melanoma?